Beyond All Hope
by Tainted Visions
Summary: After another failed attempt to take over Cyberspace, Hacker comes up with a plan so dangerous that puts the entire Cyberworld at stake.
1. Discovery

1 Beyond All Hope

By: Angel Of Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Cyberchase

Summary: After another failed attempt to take over Cyberspace, Hacker comes up with a plan so dangerous that puts the entire Cyberworld at stake.

" I can't believe those rotten kids have thwarted my plans _again!_"

The Hacker pounded an angry fist down onto the metal control panel. He fought to control his rapid breathing, his hands shaking in rage. He grit his teeth until they cracked against each other, making them throb. He simply ignored the pain, however, as he watched the three earth children, along with their friend Digit, greet Motherboard and then become showered with praise from the supercomputer who protected all of Cyberspace. His eyes sharpened. He watched as the three kids jumped through the portal as Digit bade them farewell. He narrowed his eyes; his anger intensified. With a swift breeze of his cape, the green cyborg then turned and quickly proceeded to his re-charger chair, where he sat down and stared at the floor in mock defeat.

Behind him, The Hacker's lackey servants, Buzz and Delete watched their boss with sad eyes. They wanted to comfort him, soothe him, convince him that, eventually, he could outwit those kids, that eventually, they, together, would rule all of Cyberspace. Yet, at the same time, they were frozen to the spot, too afraid to speak, too afraid to move. One single transaction could set Hacker off, and the last thing they wanted was to set him off while he was in such an angry mood. God only knew what Hacker would do after a defeat such as the one that had just took place.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Hacker, almost inaudibly, whispered to his companions.

" Boys... go clean up your rooms."

The sudden change in tone startled both Buzz and Delete. Hacker never spoke that softly, let alone without such emotion as he was now. Normally, the cyborg would be snapping at them about either this or that, but the words spoken right now seemed almost kind, almost soft. Delete, finally, mustered up the courage and spoke, stuttering.

" B-Boss?"

" Go. Clean. Your. Rooms." Hacker repeated, this time, in a flat-like tone, as if he were growing impatient with them already. Not standing around to get told twice, Buzz and Delete scampered into their rooms and bolted the door shut.

Hacker placed his hands under his face and sighed again, this time with saddened eyes. The plan he had come up with, had been very-well thought out, very much premeditated that assured ownership over Cyberspace. Yet those meddling children and their tin-turkey had stopped him once again, as they always had, and saved the Cyber world from become plummeted into eternal darkness. Hacker gazed up at the screen above him, looking for any sign, anyway, anything at all to show that he could succeed, any hint that he would someday seize control over the world he longed to have. But as he stared hopefully at it, there was no sign, no premeditated force, that showed he would one day achieve his ultimate goal. Scowling, Hacker typed in some numbers, searching around Cyberspace.

Then he found it.

Stopping at a certain point on the map, the Hacker's face suddenly lit up in astonishment. He had never before, in his entire life, run across this Cybersite. He zoomed in, trying to find out more information about it at all. He clicked the button that read ' more info' and waited. Nothing.

Hacker frowned.

There was a least some info on every site in Cyberspace, but for some reason, there was no data at all on this unknown, mysteries location. The site's features filled Hacker's eyes, the man's once narrowed and hate-filled eyes now filled with curiosity, shock, as he inspected the site even more.

" The only way to find out more information about it," Hacker said, " is to go there and check it out for myself. But how can I do that when there is no way to get there? There's nothing, no alternate route, nothing that can lead me there! This place is far out beyond any cybersite I've ever visited!"

The site, it's only features that were traceable, was a black, swirling vortex, about as big as Sensible flats. It wasn't _very_ big, but by staring at it, Hacker got the feeling that it was _very_ important, and to put it quite plainly, _very_ dangerous.

" It can't be a black hole," Hacker acknowledged, " it's not on another part of land. It's not part of another cybersite like the black hole's are! The black holes aren't usually _that_ big, either..." Hacker trailed off, placing a finger under his chin, deep in thought. Motherboard was the only one who, most definitely, knew what it was, but he couldn't ask her – she was his mortal enemy. Perhaps he could trick her into telling, or Dr. Marbles or Digit, or even those nosey earth brats, but he knew that was no use – they'd suspect his motives.

Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. Replacing his upset expression with an evil grin that was as big as his ego, the evil genius let out a soft, sinister cackle and called to his henchmen, who were, feverishly, cleaning up the remaining of the room.

" Buzz, Delete! Get in here!"

Doing as they were told, the two robots emerged from the room, covered in dust. For a moment, they expected Hacker to yell at them, and were shocked when Hacker turned and gave them an almost diabolical grin and said:

" Get the Wreaker ready. We're going to the Cybrary!"

They were about to question their boss's intentions, but decided to leave it in the air for now. Sooner or later, they knew, Hacker would tell them. They just had to wait. But they could almost swear, as they watched Hacker let out an evil cackle, that they knew that Cyberspace would never be the same, maybe even exist, if his plans came to pass..

What do you think so far? Good, bad? Please let me know!


	2. Threats

1 Beyond All Hope

By: Angel Of Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own Cyberchase

Summary: After another failed attempt to take over Cyberspace, Hacker comes up with a plan so dangerous it puts the entire Cyberworld at stake.

All had been peaceful after Hacker's last attempt to take over Cyberspace.

People were scurrying around, going about their daily business, occasionally gazing up at the skies of Cyberspace, thankful, that yet another day had gone by where no sudden attack by Hacker had been made. No one spoke of the Hacker's name, as if saying it were to cause sudden annihilation on Cyberspace. Elsewhere, in Control Central, Motherboard wasn't so pleased with the sudden boycott of attacks. She knew Hacker quite well, and realized he never was this quiet unless he was planning something devious, dangerous, something horrific. And as it was going on the fifth week since they had last heard anything from Hacker, Motherboard decided that it was time to recruit the Cybersquad in. It was time they investigated.

" Dr. Marbles," she called to the man known as Dr. Marbles who was working on her circuit breaker below her, " send a portal to the kids. We need them here as soon as possible. There's no telling what Hacker may be up to."

Nodding his head in agreement, Dr. Marbles quickly created a portal. " You're right."

Digit entered the room, surveying Motherboard and Dr. Marble's expressions.

" I agree with the both of you," Digit spoke, " Hacker's up to something, guaranteed."

Meanwhile, on earth, Matt, Jackie and Inez were having yet another day of relaxation, enjoying the weather outside as they laid on Jackie's house porch, listening to the soft tune of Three Days Grace on the radio.

" It's so nice to finally be off!" Inez sighed in pleasure, as she folded her arms above her head and smiled in content. Jackie smiled in return and kicked her legs back in relaxation.

" I totally agree with you," the African-American girl agreed, " No Hack-attacks!"

" Cybermates!" an urgent voice called, " Need... your... help."

The Cybersquad all turned to see Motherboard's face in the radio.

" Spoke too soon, Jax," Matt remarked.

" What's wrong, Mother B?" asked Jackie, ignoring Matt's last statement.

Static coursed through Motherboard's face. " There's something... you need... to see.."

Without warning, Motherboard's face disappeared, replaced by a pink portal, and the kids had no time to react as they were pulled through.

They landed in the familiar place of control central, landing on their usual position – on top of one another.

" Matt, get off!" Jackie scowled impatiently.

" I will, once you get off my leg!" Matt shot back.

" You guys are squashing me!" came Inez's muffled reply.

" Great, we're suffocating Inez!" Matt replied sassily to the African-American girl, and the red-head pushed Jackie off of him and helped Inez to her feet.

The Hispanic girl smiled. " Thanks, Matt."

" No problem, Nezzie." Came Matt's reply.

" DON'T CALL ME NEZZIE! Matthew." Inez countered, glaring angrily at the boy.

Matt held up his hands in defense. " Sorry, Ne– I mean, Inez." he corrected himself.

Casting another glare at Matt, Inez now turned and faced Motherboard.

" Hey, Motherboard. What's going on?"

" Let me guess," Matt said, almost sarcastically, " Hacker's attacking again?"

This next statement shocked the Cybersquad.

" I'm afraid not," came Motherboard's reply.

" Well...that's a good thing, then, right?" Jackie asked. " If Hacker's not attacking, what are we here for?"

" Just that point, cyber mates."

The kids turned to see Doctor Marbles coming towards them. He looked worried.

" Hacker hasn't made any ambush, any attack of any kind against us for going on five weeks. I know he's up to something, but I don't know what.."

" Yeah.." Inez's face turned a palish color. " I see what you mean. It's usually very bad when Hacker doesn't strike at all..."

" Do you think he's up to something?" asked Matt.

" With my life," said Marbles, " Hacker has a tendancy, to, shall we say, strike at the wrong times, so to speak. He can't keep quiet for very long – it's just not in him. He can't go for a long period of time, such as five weeks without some sort of evil intention on his mind."

" You might be right," Inez replied, nodding. " Last time this happened, Hacker tricked us by thinking he had 'turned over a new leaf'. I think Marbles is right about this one, guys," Inez now turned and faced Matt and Jackie. " Hacker's probably up to something."

" Wait, hold up," Jackie said, raising her hands in a "time-out" position, " maybe not. Hacker might have decided to stop. He might have given up since we wiped the floor with him last time." Jackie pointed out.

" You might be right," Matt thought, " but I have to agree with Inez and Dr. Marbles on this one. I think we'd better check it out."

" Fine." Jackie finally replied, placing her hands on her hips. " I'm sure we're going to the Northern Frontier?"

" Yes," came Motherboard's voice, " Just... be careful. Hacker could be up to anything."

" We'll be all right," Inez smiled, " take care, Motherboard."

Motherboard smiled and opened a portal. The Cybersquad, along with Digit, were pulled through.

Seconds later, they landed at the Northern Frontier. Once again, they landed on top of one another, which didn't please any one of them.

" Not again," Jackie scowled. " Sometimes I wish these portals wouldn't go so fast! Then we could make a proper landing."

" But if they don't go as fast as they do, Hacker could cause major destruction before we even got here," Matt pointed out.

" Never mind," came Inez's voice, as she picked herself up off the ground, " we're on a mission, remember?"

" Nezzie's right," Digit explained – getting a glare from Inez – " We gotta see what The Hacker's up to."

The four nodded.

" Okay, Jackie, Inez," Matt began, pointing at the two of them, " you guys stay around here and watch for Hacker. Didge and I are going into the Wreaker."

" Matt, wait," Inez protested, " what if Hacker catches you?"

" He won't," Matt said, confidently.

" And how do you know that?" Jackie asked.

" Look," Matt snapped, " we can't sit here arguing! You heard Motherboard, she's worried about this, now let's just go do what we came here to do, all right?" he let out a sigh as he and Digit began to ascend Hacker's ship. " I'll call you if we need you, okay?"

" All right," Inez said, " just be careful..."

Matt and Digit gave a small smile before departing.

Inez sighed as she watched the redhead and cyberbird sneak into the Grim Wreaker.

" I hope they'll be okay..."

" Okay, we just have to be really quiet,"

" I think that's obvious, Matty,"

Matt laughed a little at Digit's remark as he and the robotic bird snuck into Hacker's base.

They crept quietly into the oversized ship, stopping for a moment to make sure no one heard them, before sneaking into the basement room. To their surprise, no one was there.

" Let's look around," Matt encouraged, " just to make sure there's no type of device here or anything."

He took a step forward into the room, with Digit just behind him, and began searching.

After a half hour of finding nothing, Digit slumped to the floor in exhaustion.

" I give up, Matty. We've been looking and looking, but we haven't found anything!"

Matt sighed. " You're right. Let's just go before Hacker finds us here."

" Before I find you, eh?"

Turning swiftly around, Matt gasped in shock as he gazed at the form of Hacker standing in the doorway. He didn't look pleased. Matt growled and clenched a fist and Digit's expression of exhaustion quickly turned to one of annoyance as he got to his feet.

" I don't appreciate you sneaking into my vessel," the Green cyborg snarled, placing his hands on his hips, " and for what reason, may I ask?"

" You can ask," Matt said, calmly, " but it's none of your business."

" How DARE you!" Hacker snapped at the redhead.

Buzz and Delete, now hearing the commotion, appeared in the doorway, watching apprehensively as Hacker stood just in front of Matt and Digit, who didn't have the slightest hint of fear on their faces.

Matt smirked at Hacker. " You should know by now, Hacker, that I don't resist a dare."

Hacker's teeth clenched so hard that Buzz and Delete cowered in fear from underneath his rage.

Matt smirked at Hacker, knowing he was winning this battle.

" What? No comebacks under that brilliant wig?"

" Why you little —!"

Hacker suddenly dashed forward, knocking Matt on the ground. Matt gave a slight yelp at the unexpected attack, and wiggled furiously underneath Hacker's grip as Hacker held his wrists above his head.

Delete and Buzz, now thinking it was time to act, ran hurriedly over to Hacker and began to try and pull him off the boy.

" Come on, Boss, he's not worth it!" Buzz tugged at Hacker's left arm as Delete pulled on the right. Soon, between the two of them, they were able to pull Hacker off of Matt, although Hacker continued to seethe.

" Matty, you okay?" came Digit's concerned voice as he helped Matt to his feet.

" I'm fine, Didge," Matt said, voice cracking in rage. His eyes met Hacker's. " But you won't be!"

Digit slapped his forehead as Matt now sprang forward, this time knocking Hacker on the ground, Hacker now meeting the sticky end. Matt clenched a fist and socked Hacker right in the nose. Hacker retaliated with a punch of his own, knocking Matt off of him. Matt jumped to his feet seconds later, and again jumped Hacker. The two began rolling around on the floor, pounding away on each other.

Digit, Buzz and Delete all began pulling on their respective partners, trying to get the two wrestling figures off of each other. After much difficulty, they finally separated the two.

Hacker, now shaking in complete hatred, glared angrily at Matt ( who was glaring back) and Digit, pointed a finger at them and said, " I'm going to make this clear one last time."

He threw Buzz and Delete off of him with a simple push, the two robots hitting the floor with a clank. They let out soft yelps of pain, but Hacker ignored them, his gaze still upon the intruders.

" Do-not-get-involved-in-my-business," Hacker said in one breath, putting emphasis on each word, as if to make the words completely clear.

" Or what?" Matt demanded, and Digit sighed desperately, fearing the two would get into another fistfight.

" ' Or what'?" Hacker laughed, " well, let's just say that your little friend will have to pay the price."

" What?" Matt snarled, gazing down at Digit, then back up at Hacker. " If you touch Digit, I'll —."

" No, not Digit, you stupid child," Hacker mocked, " Slider."

Matt blinked for a moment in shock, registering what Hacker had just said.

Smirking at his expression, Hacker raised his nose triumphantly in the air and turned toward the door that led to the outskirts of the ship.

" If you want no harm to befall Slider, then you'll stay out of my way."

He left without another word.

" Hey!" Matt shouted, watching the cyborg depart, " you wanna threaten somebody? Why don't you try threatening —."

" Matty!" came Digit's exasperated reply. " just - just leave it, okay?"

" What? Why?" growled Matt, " he's threatening Slider's life, I'm not gonna stand by and let him –."

" I know, Matty," said Digit, " but I think the best option we can do right now other than getting into another fight with him is go and tell the girls. They'll be wondering where we are by now."

There was a moment's silence before Matt sighed in defeat and raised his hands.

" All right! Let's go.."

They left the ship quietly, watching to make sure Hacker wasn't around, then left the barriers of the Grim Wreaker, exiting to see Inez and Jackie waiting patiently for them.

" About time!" Jackie scowled, " you were in there for over an hour! And – Whoa! What happened to you, Matt? Get into a fight with Hacker or somethin'?"

" Yeah, actually," Matt said, rubbing the bruise that was on his head.

" Hey, it was just a joke," said Jackie, looking baffled.

" Wait a second, you got into it with Hacker?" Inez said, a slight surprised grin on her features. " What happened in there?"

" Well, we went inside, and began to search," said Matt, " and we looking for about half-an-hour, and nothing. We were about to leave, and then Hacker showed up. He cornered us in the basement and then —."

" And then the argument started, and then Hacker and Matt started fighting." finished Digit. " Sheesh! Buzz, Delete and I had to keep them apart! It became annoying after awhile, actually..."

Matt glared at the bird and crossed his arms. " He was asking for it."

" Never mind," Jackie scowled, " did you find anything at all?"

" Oh yeah!" Matt gasped, " Hacker threatened to kill Slider if we get involved in this plan he's got."

" What?!?" cried Inez, " that green trash–."

" Believe me, I felt the same way," Matt said. " but yeah, he is up to something."

" I knew it!" Inez yelled, infuriated, obviously still hung on the fact that Hacker had threatened Slider, " he's lucky I wasn't in there, I would have pounded him one!"

" Yeah," Digit replied sarcastically," why don't you go in there and do that and have him

actually do something?"

" I think Inez does have the right to be upset," Jackie said, " I mean, he is our friend."

" Yeah.." Digit replied, now looking somewhat at the ground, slightly nervous.

" Well," Matt broke in, " we ought to get back to Control Central and let Mother B know her worst suspicion is confirmed."

" Yeah, let's go," Inez said, taking out her Squak Pad, " Inez to Motherboard, come in, come in."

After a moment, the supercomputer's face appeared.

" Ah, Inez. You finished your investigation."

" Yeah, we've got loads to tell you!" Matt barked in, and ignored Inez, who was now muttering a bunch of insults about Hacker underneath her breath, making Jackie and Digit blink in surprise and back away slightly.

" All right," Motherboard said, also showing a sign of surprise at Inez's behavior, " portal coming."

The next second, a portal appeared, and the gang jumped in, being transported back to Control Central.

They landed, fortunately, in a better position than the last two attempts.

" Finally!" Jackie cheered. " No bad landings this time."

They looked around to see Dr. Marbles racing towards them.

" Cybermates, did you find out the information we need?"

" Yeah, Hacker's up to no good," Matt said, " and, he's threatened to kill Slider if we at all get involved in his plan."

" I don't believe it!" rasped Dr. Marbles, " I knew Hacker was low but I had never —!"

He stopped when he heard the sound of immense static and looked up. He was shocked to see Motherboard's image shattering, being drowned in static.

" Motherboard?" asked Doctor Marbles, looking worried. " Are you —?"

" M—Marbles! Something has invaded — my— my—circuits!"

" Oh my," Doctor Marbles raced to the control panel. " hold on, Motherboard, I'll load your file wall!"

He had no time to do it; it was too late. Motherboard's image suddenly vanished from the screen, replaced by black.

" Motherboard!" shouted the three kids and Digit.

" What is that?" Matt asked, pointing to the black screen, which was now painted with a swirl in the middle of the black screen, and it kept getting bigger and bigger...

" Oh no.." gasped Marbles. " It can't be!"

" What is it, Dr. Marbles?" asked Inez.

" It's what I have feared would be discovered... it's supposed to be concealed, no one was ever to know this cybersite existed!"

" What is that?" asked Jackie nervously. She knew as soon as he spoke that it was something disastrous.

" The Black Vortex..."


	3. Origin

Beyond All Hope

By: Tainted Visions

Disclaimer: I do not own Cyberchase

Summary: After another failed attempt to take over Cyberspace, Hacker comes up with a plan so dangerous that it puts the entire Cyberworld at stake.

A/N: Sorry for the extremely long break... ahem.. now onto chapter 3..

**"Origin"**

"The Black Vortex...?"

Jackie had uttered Dr. Marble's last statement in surprise, but no reply came back from the doctor. He was staring at the computer where Motherboard had been just moments before, open-mouthed, and face extremely pale. Inez, who was standing beside him, gulped and turned to the man somewhat nervously.

"Are you all right, Doctor Marbles.?"

The man's eyes dialated, " Y-yes, I..."

" No, you're not," Matt said, carefully placing a hand over Marbles's quievering body. "You need to sit down. You look like you're about to pass out!"

Together, he and Jackie moved the doctor to the chair that Digit had just brought out and sat him on it gently. He took a deep, much-needed breath, and smiled thankfully at the kids. Matt kneeled down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's the Black Vortex, doc? Is it something dangerous?"

" It...it hasn't been discovered for years.. I... I knew when I discovered it that someone could try and use it for their own advantages, so I tried my best to keep it well-hidden. I couldn't delete it; it was inpenetrateable. Nothing I did would destroy it. The only option I had left was to hide it, but now, it appears as if someone's re-located it." He explained in a shallow voice.

Inez turned from him and gazed up at the computer screen still inhabiting the swirling pool. "It looks like a Black Hole," she observed. "What are the differences between them? They sure are similar. 'Black Hole', 'Black Vortex.'... how do you tell them apart?"

"Well, for one, this thing's bigger," Jackie acknowledged, "and it looks like the intervals between each ripple are off. They're not all the same distance apart like a Black Hole is."

"And it has a mixture of Grey in it," Matt added. " Black Holes have purple, remember?"

" It also has the ability to do far more damage than a Black Hole can." Dr.Marbles replied.

" What do you mean?" Asked Inez.

"For instance, the Black Vortex has the abilities of total domination. It can reverse changes made in Cyberspace from decades before, it can create bacteria and kill off population, and it can suck up Cybersites and destroy them. When it's activated, there's no stopping it. It will destroy Cyberspace from the inside out."

"Total domination?" Matt growled, "That's exactly what Hacker wants. I bet he's the one toying around with it! This may be the plan he spoke of!"

"You're right!" Jackie gasped. " If Hacker re-activates that thing, then no one, not even us, can stop him! It'll all be over!"

"Woah, don't go flying off the handle, guys," Inez protested, "We don't know if this is what Hacker had in mind. Maybe he had something else --"

She stopped speaking suddenly. The lights in Control Central had dimed, the room growing progressively darker. A split-second later, the screen showing the Black Vortex flickered off, then static took it's place, followed by another flicker, and then Hacker's face appeared, looking particularly smug.

"You were saying..?" Jackie turned to a stunned-looking Inez.

"Hello, kiddies. Mind if I drop in?"

Matt opened his mouth to say something, but Marbles beat him to the chase. He glared suspiciously up at Hacker and crossed his arms. "What do you want, Hacker?"

Hacker grinned, "Oh, nothing, Marbles. I already have what I want."

"And what's that?" said Matt loudly, and Inez and Jackie slapped their heads in exasperation. Hacker looked venomously at Matt for a moment before turning back to Marbles.

"But I did come to tell you that not even you, Motherboard, or you meddling brats can stop me. So, I decided to give you the easy way out. At no expense to your cause, I'm allowing you to go off easy by simply surrendering to me. With some conditions," Hacker added, seeing the looks upon their faces, "of course."

"Well, you can forget your conditions, because we'll nev--"

"MATT!" Inez and Jackie hissed dangerously, "_shut up_!"

The boy glared angrily at the two girls for a moment before crossing his arms and glaring out the window on the right wall. Taking advantage of his silence, Inez sighed and looked up at Hacker. "What are your conditions, Hacker?"

Hacker grinned, "For one, I let you kids go, free, back to your world, under the vow that you will never enter Cyberspace again."

Infuriatd, Matt clenched a fist and pointed a finger at Hacker. Hacker had played this trick on them once before - more than once, to be exact. He always ended up with another round of tricks. This time was no different. Hacker was lying, and he knew it. "You're _such_ a bad liar!"

Hacker's grin faded off of his face faster than the time it takes for an airplane to make a nose-diving landing. "What?"

Jackie groaned, "Matt, you _really need to shut up_!"

"No, I won't! He's lying! That's what he does! It's obviously a trick!" Matt complained,"He has no intention of letting us go free! You guys want to be gullible enough to fall for it, then go ahead! I'm sure not taking a part of it!"

"If I were you," Hacker grit his teeth, apparently holding back suppressed rage, "I'd listen to your friend and take the offer. I'm giving you the chance to go free in exchange for power. I sure wouldn't be stupid enough to take it up; but then again, _I'm_ not stupid."

Jackie gave Matt a look that almost looked like she was agreeing with Hacker, while Inez, however, huffed and crossed her arms. "If your course of action is genuine," she began, and Hacker's grin returned, "how do we know that you won't be tricking us at the last minute? How do we know that you won't spring up a trap?"

Hacker opened his mouth to answer, when Inez cut across him.

"Oh, that's right, we don't know. Nine times out of ten, you decieved the situation and your promise. Like Matt just said.. you're lying through your teeth. Nice try, Hacker." She gave Matt and Jackie a smirk, and then, to Matt's surprise, Jackie returned the gesture.

"Really, did you think we're stupid enough to fall for that one?" Jackie smirked up at the green visage, who's vein was throbbing outwardly in his head. "Like they say, Hackie, karma has bad taste. You decieve us, we just decieved you. How does it feel to be at the sticky end?"

Hacker looked ready to blow his top any moment. Those brats had played him for a fool. No one played the Hacker. No one. But the vein in his head receeded, a smirk played upon his face, and the anger slowly left his embodiment. He didn't respond for several seconds, in which the Cybersquad stood below him with triumphant looks upon their faces. Digit looked somewhat impressed with their course of action. As much as he hated to admit it, the children's wits had impressed him, too. He took a deep breath, and smiled grimly. "What ever makes you happy. I offered you a chance, you refused to take it. You'll live with the mistake. Or rather, you'll die with the mistake.. and so will your friend.. Slider!"

"No!" Inez yelled, horror coursing through her body.

Hacker gave a diabolical laugh, and the screen flickered off.

"We have to stop him!" Jackie yelled.

"How? He's got that Vortex thing! There's nothing we can do!" Matt cried.

"There has to be something, some flaw in this plan of his." Inez mumbled, deep in thought. "There's something tainted in every plan. No plan is perfect, there's always a flaw somewhere. We just have to find it."

"Can we do that later?! We have a bit of a situation here!"

Inez looked up to see that Matt, Jackie, Digit, and Dr.Marbles had frozen in their places. They were staring, mouths agape, at the screen. Eyes wandering along, Inez finally gazed at the static that was coursing through the screen. There was a faded image of someone, and from what they could hear, he was groaning in pain. Then the static faded, replaced by clouds of thickened smoke, and the fog ascended, allowing the person to be viewed. The kids gasped. It was Slider. Blood was running down his face from an open gash just above his left eye. When he looked up, his eyes were tired-looking and grey. He lay sprawled on the ground of what appeared to be Radopolis, and fire was some distance behind him. They could hear people screaming, explosions errupting, and the sound of a single scream peircing the air as Slider's image faded out.

"Slider!"

Jackie fell to her knees in horror, tears running down her face. "He did it, he's killed Slider!"

Hacker's diabolical laugh rang out through the entire Control Central, as the Cybersquad stood frozen in their spots, too frozen, too scared to move...

A/N: Sheesh, talk about dramativity! Well, after a very crucial two days, I finally finished this. The death of a beloved WWE superstar shook me, made me mourn, too stunned to do anything. I haven't slept much, and I haven't eaten much. I think I finally better do both things.. it's just been a real shock, and I feel like my writing skills have tapered off a bit in this chapter. This chapter was pretty difficult for me to write, but the next ones are going to be so much harder because things get so much worse. Now that Hacker's got the Black Vortex, things are going to get hectic in the Cyberworld. I'll be back to write another chapter once I get over my shock.. another chapter of "Hollow" is being worked on, too, so I'll have some major updates soon.


	4. The Beginning

Beyond All Hope

By: Tainted Visions

Disclaimer: I do not own Cyberchase

Summary: After another failed attempt to take over Cyberspace, Hacker comes up with a plan so dangerous that it puts the entire Cyberworld at stake.

**"The Beginning"**

It had begun.

Destruction and anihilation had been unleashed. Death and misery had erupted in Cyberspace. There was no turning back.

The Grim Wreaker roared overhead of Radopolis, the ship looking darker than usual, even against the glow of the flames from below. A cloud of smoke billowed over the ship's windowpane, revealing Hacker, his two flanky robots just behind him. His silhouette outlined in the window, a smirk planted on his features. He looked every bit the triumphant tyrant, the remorseless dictator. Buzz and Delete seemed to be noticing the new changes, and were peterably disturbed by it.

"Don't you see it, boys?"

Hacker's grin had grown larger, gazing proudly at the destruction below. Flames were licking the building, the surrounding area, as civilians screamed and fleed from their emblazing homes. Children sobbed in terror, and men sheilded the women from the torrents of flames that lay all around them. Hacker gave a ruthless laugh.

"Run while you can, you imbelic morons. Soon, very soon... I will rule Cyberspace. Soon.. the Hacker will reign as dictator of Cyberspace, the job Motherboard miserably failed at, and then.. the whole world will cower and worship me, the Hacker, the next ruler of Cyberspace!"

His attention focused on the destruction on the site in front of him, Hacker failed to catch the reactions on his accomplices' faces. Buzz was staring at Hacker, open-mouthed, looking very disturbed and shocked at his behavior. Delete, who was gazing at the floor rather then the destruction itself, gave a terror-induced shudder as tremors of innocent-like fear ran down his spinal cords. Hacker had finally done it; he had finally started his conquest on the Cyberworld...and now there was no one, nothing, that could thwart it.

Always invisioning the rulership of his boss to be a welcoming occassion, Delete lifted his head as explosions errupted all around him, saddened. This wasn't the way he had imagined it; he had envisioned him and Buzz, side-along in rulership with Hacker, with Cyberspace at peace, yet destruction occassionally happening. But this was far from it. _Too_ far from the dream Delete had had.

"This is the way I always imagined it."

Delete exited his thoughts when Hacker spoke. He watched the cyborg's expression closely, and after observing it for more than a minute, unblinking, did he realize just what lay within Hacker's heart:

_Nothing_.

There was no remorse, no sign of compassion at the destruction he was causing, no concern for the innocent men, women, and children that were caught within this annihilation. Hacker was watching the scene before him with a large grin, satisfaction and triumph written all over his face. Something inside of him seemed to have awakened, a monster hell-bent on destruction, with no misery, no concern. Nothing. He had become void of all emotion.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, Boss," Buzz replied to Hacker, looking at a random part of the floor. His eyes, Delete noticed, bore the same thing that his own were -- disturbance, fear, and most of all, failure.

Part of Delete had always wanted this, for Hacker's sake.. but now that it was happening.. it felt like he had failed Hacker somehow, failed to restrain the inner demon from within his boss. He simply let it happen, and this was the cost. The cost is always bigger then the cause itself, and Delete had new meaning to that term.

It had begun at last...

The end of Cyberspace.

"He did it, he's killed Slider!"

Coming out of his tumor of numbness, Matt lifted his head and looked at his friends, who were still rooted to the spot. His eyes darted to the screen that normally held Motherboard, and just moments before, the catastrophic scenes of the attack in Radopolis, now containing the unending image of the Black Vortex. It continued to swirl, and Matt's eyes began to follow it, until all at once, the horror that had been restrianed inside of him unleashed.

It was like something had awoken in him; the realization of what the Black Vortex meant - unending suffering, unwavering chaos. Endless death, and pain, and misery. For eternity. The screams he had heard momentarily errupted inside his head again, deafining. Nothing could drown out the screaming...

"...Come on, Matt, let's go! We've got to get over there! We gotta stop Hacker!"

Matt noticed Inez tugging at his arm, and broke out of his stupor. Not completely disemboided, he was practically dragged by Inez, who was apparently taking him to the Cybercoupe. He saw that Digit and a consoled Jackie were already inside, looking angrier and more determined then ever. When the two were seated inside, Digit put the key in the ignition and pressed on the brake.

"Prepare yourselves, guys," He said quietly, "there's no tellin' what The Hacker might do, so stay alert. I'm going to face Hacker myself, I want you three to hide when we get to the scene."

"What?!" cried Matt incrediously, "you've got to be joking, Didge."

"I'm not," Digit replied simply, "if you remember, I have a score to settle with Hacker."

"But so do we!" interjected Inez, "Digit, he killed Slider. You think I'm not going to get back at him for that?"

"Besides, we're all in this together," Jackie added, "we were the Cybersquad for this long, I'm not about to let some green trash-bag change that. We're going in together, and if need be, we're fighting together. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Digit's eyes went a little watery, yet he blinked back unshed tears and replied in a sharp voice, "No. I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen to any of you kids. You were forced into this situation, you didn't have to cooperate, and I feel responsible for you. This isn't your world, and that means I--"

"That's exactly the point!" Inez argued, "We didn't have to do this, we chose to. That's the price we're willing to pay for fighting Hacker. If one of us falls, the other avenges them, and that's the same case with Slider, or anyone else here in Cyberspace! We're not giving up, we're not hiding, and we're not running. So, in case you didn't get that, we're helping you. Got it?"

Digit turned to face her. His face was sparkled with tears. Taking one wing off the steering wheel, he wiped them off, and smiled. "You kids really are too good to be true, you know that?"

They smiled.

"And you really are too soft for your own good," Matt replied, bemused. "You're our pal, Didge, you knew we weren't going to let you fight Hacker on your own, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I suppose I did, deep down," he admitted, "I was just hopin' I could talk you out of it."

"Well, you were wrong, then," Jackie smirked, "we don't get talked out of anything."

Digit grinned, "Yeah, I get it, Jaxs."

There was a moment of silence when no one spoke, no sound could be heard but the rumbling of the Cybercoop. Digit sighed and faced the open air as Radopolis approached. "You guys ready for this?"

The trio nodded, preparing themselves for the danger that lay ahead.

Sorry for such a short chapter. I was planning on more, but I did want to leave it on a cliffhanger sort of, just because I have a big plan for the next chapter. I'll have it up soon. Finally over my shock, so yeah. Plus, I have viddy-block, you could say, so I needed SOMETHING to keep myself occupied, plus I really wanted to finish this chapter, so yeah. Read and review, please:)


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